Bottle closure



0a. 15, 1940. J. A. MURDOCK 2,217,765

BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed Feb. 12, 1940 Patented Oct. 15, 1940 Application February 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,464

,aonims. (01. 215-63) This invention relates to closures for bottles and similar containers and is especially useful in cases'where the bottles contain. gaseous liquids, such as carbonated beverages,'which must be con- :1 fined under pressure. The object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle closure which is simple'in construction and operation, and economical to manufacture;

H) L'A further object of the invention is to provide a bottle closure which is readily and securely ap-- plied to a bottle and can be readily removed therefrom-without tools or the manipulation of parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide 15 a bottle closure which may be opened or closed easily by the use of the'same hand which holds the bottle, thus leaving'the operators other hand free.

A further object of the invention'isto provide .20 a bottle" closure in which the means by which the 1 stopper is held to the neck of the container is tightened simultaneously with the clamping shut of the stopper over the mouth of the bottle, thus requiring a minimum of motionand of efi'ort on 26 the part of the user. 7 p

A further object of the invention is to provide I a bottle closure which will fittightly-to the opening and the mouth of the bottle; and yet will be readily removable and easily transferable from 30 one bottle to another of the. same type, without damage to either the bottleor the closuraand regardless of minor variations in the outer diameter of the mouths-of the bottles. r

A further object of the invention is to provide Z3:; abottle closure which is so associated ,withthe bottle when in use as to prevent the closuregirom becoming misplaced when the bottle is opened and the contents are being dispensed therefrom.

A further object of the invention isto provide a gas-, air-, and liquid-tight bottle closure'to take the place of the usual originalclosure after'such original closure has been "removed.

Other objects, advantages,and capabilities of the invention will appear from the followingde- 5 scription of a preferred embodiment thereof,

taken .in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure lis a perspective view of the closure in closed position upon the bottle. I

50 Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the closure in open position uponthe bottle.

Fig. '3' is a plan View of the underside of the closure cap, shown in open relation with respect to the retainer ring by which the closure is held .5 upon the bottle.

bottle shown Fig. A is a horizontal. sectional view of the clo- .suretakensubstantially on the line 1-4 of Fig. 1.

" 'FigABis' a sectionalview through the closure capitaken on the line 54-5 oiFig. 2, andshowing a plan viewfof-the retainer ring about the neck 5 ofla bottle. Fig. 6. is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line a 66 of Fig. 4, showing the manner-in whichthe cap is heldinolose'daposition by the retainer ring. a I

Fig. '7 isa plan view of the blankof the bottle closure cap before it is ,formed into-the completed structure.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the'several'views. V H M Referring to the drawing'the reference-numeral ll designates the oonventional'bottle of which a fragment is shown". vThe bottle shown is of familiar-form, with a cylindrical body tapering at l2 to an annular shoulder l3, above which 1% is the narrowneok l4 surmounted by-the annular lip-15"about the-mouth l-G of-the bottle. The

I and described herein is a' conventional beveragebottle, such as is commonly used to contain carbonatedbeverages. These bot- 7, 2%

-tles (are commonly sealed witha so-called crown cap-,which is a metal o'ap crimped 'o'ver-the'lip =l' 5 andcarries a circular cork insert within the cap which is pressed between the top of the cap and the top of the bottle lip l5 and over the-bottle mouth-l6. I

While the invention has been shown and describedas applied to a bottle, it is designedto be readily applicable to containers of any kind which terminate in a tubular mouth with an annular lipat the mouth or .near thereto to s-erve asap abutment for the retaining ring by which the closure may be'secured to the bottle. Obviously, he lip need not. completely encirclethe throat of the container, and the closure will operate equally 4 0 well upon containers having multiple studs or other abutments about the neck. v The closure shown in preferred form, consists of a retainer ring 20, made of flexible resilient metal. The ring 20 is interrupted at the back, 35 each of the ends ofthe wire being carriedrearwardly at the plane of the ring into the horizontal extensions 2|, each of which isthen bent inwardly at the same planeas at 22. The ends each terminatein a vertical .section 23, bent upwardly 59 and substantially perpendicularto the horizontal sections 2| and 22.

Diametrically opposite the interrupted section of the retainer ring, the ring 20 is bent to form the shoulder 24, which is shown as formed by 5 V28, the tongue cap. The seal 40 is made of 29 are'free of the cams 35.

cular sealing member 40, which is more fully described below.

The side edges of the be flanged to form walls member 40, so that any 21 to confine the sealing compression thereof will not force the sealing member from beneath the cap.

Fig. 7. The tongue rises from the cap into an abrupt vertical bow 28, then is bent downwardly .and inwardly to .in the outwardly projecting fingerpiece 30.

clasp the bottle, and. terminates Inend of the tongue and the bow is cutat 29 and the metal pressed inwardly to form the two detents 29 which are termediate the designed to catch beneath the shoulder 24.

The rear end of the cap blank is formed into the horizontal bow 3|, which terminates in a horizontal plate 32,;o-f is shown in Fig. 3 and the upper surface in Fig. 4. The perforated ears 33, are formed by bending the blank down andperpendicular to the plate 32.

.The plate 32 is cut away at its inner end to form the notch 34. The edges of the plate 32 are rounded to form the cam surfaces 35, between which theends 23 of the ring 20 swing into the notch 34.

The perforated ears horizontal sections 22 of pivots for the cap.

-As heretofore stated, the central body of the cap is perforated to receive the stud 4| by which the circular sealing member 40 is held withinthe cork or preferably rubber or similar compressible material, and is 33 receive the straight the ring 20 which form -.cut into the form shown. The seal is preferably formed with a bevel 42 about the center so that its central portion is thicker than the edges.

Operation of the bottleclo-sure With the closure in open position as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the ends 23 of the retainer ring The ring will then expand when pressed over the lip l5 of the bottle. With the cap in this position, the closure can thus be applied to a bottle merely by pressing the ring over the lip about the bottle mouth, and the closure can be removed by lifting the assembled closure so that the ring expands and passes over the bottle lip.

If the ring is pressed over the bottle lip, it will, because of its resilience, snugly embrace the bottle neck l4. If the cap 26 is now pressed with the thumb or forefinger of the same hand by which the bottle is held, the cap 26 will swing about the pivots 22-33 and the fingerpiece of the tongue on the opposedside of the cap will slide. over the shoulder 24 until the detents 29 engage the shoulder. As the cap is pressed, the

body of the cap 26 may The front of the cap 26 is formed from a long tongue, bent as indicated by the dotted lines in be fingerpiece thus lifted which the lower surface resilience of the cap member, due to the bows 28 and 3|, will permit these detents 29 to ride over the shoulder 24 and snap into engagement with the lower edge thereof. The closure will then be applied to the bottle as shown in Fig. 1.

As the cap is swung down, the notch 34 swings over the ends 23 of the retainer ring 29 and the cammed edges 35 of the notch 34 press the ring ends toward each other, thus shortening the ring and tightening it about the bottle neck l4, simultaneously with the closing of the cap and the locking of it in closed position. As soon as the cap is latched down by the engagement of the detents 29 with the shoulder 24, the cams 35 lock the ring ends 23 in final position and thus lock the retainer ring to the bottle neck and the closure to the bottle mouth.

As the cap is pressed down, the compressible seal enters the bottle mouth l6 and comes into contact with the lip I5 throughout its circumference toform a tight seal against liquids and gases contained in the bottle. The resilience of the seal tends to force the cap from the bottle and increases the pressure of the detents 29 against the lower surface of the shoulder 24, and correspondingly tightens the grip of thecap upon the bottle.

If the bottle is to be opened, the thumb-of the same hand by which the bottle is held can inserted .under the fingerpiece 30, and the until the detents 29 are free of the shoulder 24, whereupon the resilience vof the cap member and the seal 40 together with the resilience. of the wire forming the ring ends 23 against the earns 35 will quickly swing the cap into the position shown in Fig. 5, and the resilience of the wire ring 20, imparted to the ends 23 riding on the cams 35, will hold the cap in open position while the contents of the bottle are being poured. If the'bottle is emptied-the closure can be readily removed by lifting the retainer ring 20 over'the lip. I5 of the bottles.

It is to be observed that each of these operations can be performed with one hand.

Although the invention has been disclosed in connection with the specific details of preferred embodiments thereof, it is tobe understood tliat such details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is':

l. A closure for containers comprising a removable ring to encircle the container near the mouth thereof, a cap pivoted to the ring, and cams upon said cap to tighten the ring about the container when the .cap is swung into' closed position. v 2. A container closure of the character described comprising a broken retainer ring to encircle the container, a cap pivoted to the ring, and cams upon the cap to force the ends of the ring together and shorten the ring as the cap is closed. 3. A closure for containers comprising a removable ring to encircle the container near the mouth thereof, a cap pivoted to thering, and cams upon said cap to lock the ring. about the container when the cap is swung into closedposition. I

. JAMES A. MURDOCK. 

